Removable bridgework



April 3, 1928. I 1,664,726

. H. A. ADLER REMOVABLE BRIDGEWORK Filed Nov. 25. 1922 Flg. 5.

s s INVENTOR WITNES 1: s a V i ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 3, 1928.

HENRY A. AnLnn, ornnw YORK, N. Y.

REMOVABLE BninGEwoRK.

Application filed November 23, 1922. Serial No. 602,877.

My invention relates to dental bridgework, and more particularly to new and use-' ful improvements in the supporting attachments to be used for that type of dental bridge-work known as movable-removable bridge-work.

It is the purpose of movable-removable bridge-work to provide dental restoration for one, or more than one missing tooth, so that the denture of artificial teeth that is to replace the one or more missing teeth, shall function in conjunction with the existent teeth, in a manner as near as possible to the corresponding natural teeth. That is, the artificial removable denture should be so supported in the mouth that it is in movable relationship to the stationary teeth, supporting it, these supporting teeth being termed abutment teeth. At the same time, this artificial denture should be readily removable from the mouth, at will, and should possess means for preventing unintentional dislodgment.

A principal object of my invention is to provide an attachment for movable-removable bridge-work, possessing a tensioning means for holding the removable bridge denture in position between its abutments, in the mouth, against unintentional dislodgment, wherein the said tensioning agent is adapted to be supported in position on the male member of the attachment, after the said male member has been fixed, generally soldered, in position on the removable bridge denture. That is, the tensioning agent is to be placed in position on the male member, without coming under the influence of the heating application, that is necessary to position the male member on the removable bridge denture. It is a well known metallurgical fact, that when a metal which has been worked into an elastic or springy state, is again sufliciently heated, it loses this property. Furthermore, when the metal heated is such as platinum, palladium, gold, silver, etc., or their alloys, the result generally leaves the metal in a hard, non-springy and brittle condition. It is to overcome this inability of the male member to tension, so as to prevent unintentional dislodgment, that the male member of my attachment has been constructed in two individual units, with the provision that the tensioning unit may be placed, and held in position, after the application of heat for fixing the male member on the artificial bridge denture, has i been applied.

Another principal object of my invention is to provide an attachment for movableremovable bridge-work, with the provision of a means whereby the removable bridge denture is made to possess a distinct, but restricted universal movement, relative to its abutments, corresponding to the play of the natural teeth during mastication, and other like natural functions; While the removable bridge denture is seated between its abutments, in the mouth. A further object of my invention is to provide an attachment for movable-removable bridge-work, that can'be made strong in character, inexpensive to manufacture, and positive in action.

In view of the aforesaid objects, and the further objects obvious and disclosed in the following description, the dental attachment forming the substance of this invention consists of the novel features, and combination of parts, hereinafter described and illustrat-' ed, and as particularly set forth in the claims appended to the specification.

These objects I attain in the accompanying drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment of my invention, in which similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in the various views.

In the accompanying drawing: 7

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the female member of the attachment.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the male member of the attachment.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of a two-tooth movable-removable bridge denture, in position between its abutments, showing both the male and female members of each attachment, also the abutment inlays and part of the dental saddle structure, in lateral section. I

Fig. 4: is a fragmentary-plan view of the removable bridge denture and one of its abutment teeth, showing the position that the loo male and female members of one of the attachments possess in the second and third molars, respectively.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary lateral sectional view of the leaf spring and back wall of the 105 female member, illustrating themanner of registering of the teat'and teat receptacle.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawing, I

showthe female member of my attachment composed of the straight back wall 1, with 110 the flat bottom 2 extending at right angles thereto, and of the sides 3, formed at simila-r angles to the back wall, the said angle to be less than 90 degrees. It is preferable to have this female member formed. in one piece, as it is subjected to great heat during positioning.

The male member of my attachment is illustrated in Fig. 2. The bodyft is formed integral with the, Web 5, and shown, in Fig. 2, formed at right angles to each other. The Web 5 may also be formed to the body 4, at any angle other than a right angle, but it is desirous to always have them of one piece, as the male member is also subjected to" great heat. during positioning. The sides 6 of the male member are formed to converge away from its front or face 7, the angles formed by the sides 6 and face 7 being similanand less than 90 degrees, and suclras to permit the body t to engage within the enclosure formed by the sides 3 and back .Wall' 1 of'the female member. The top and bottom surfaces of the male member are flat and parallel to the horizontal, with the web 5 extending from the top to the bottom of the body 4:.

The leaf spring 8, referring particularly to Fig. 2, is a separate and distinct part of the male member. It is the intention to have this spring 8 formed flat, for at least one-half'its length, the lower portion terminating into a-belly-shaped form, the width of the spring being as great as possible in conformity with the height of the belly-shaped portion. The spring 8 is seated in-a recess cut in the face of the body 4, the width of the recess corresponding to the width of the spring, this recess extending throughout the full length of the body 1-, reference being had to Figures 2 and 3. The spring is held in position in'its recess by the fiat head screw 9, this screw being positioned as far down from the top of the springand' body as the shape of the spring'will permit, referring to Figures 2 and 3. It may be desirableto use in place ofthe screw 9, a rivet or pin;

Referring to Figures 2, 3 and 5, I show formed, centrally, in the belly-shaped por tion of the leaf spring 8, a protuberance or tgat 10. Similarly, there is formed in the ba'ckiwall' 1' of the female member a teat receptacle' 11, which will'rcgister with tlie'teat 10, when the body 4 of the male member is normally seated within the female member. The teat 10 and teat receptacle 11 are so formed, that the teat is capable of a restricted play, in any direction, within its receptacle, which play is,,transmitted through the male member to the removable bridge denture itself. That is, the bridge denture, whengseated in position in the mouth, will possess'a restricted universal play, relative tothesfixedabutments supporting'it. I here wish to set forth, that, though I have shown in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 5, the teat, 10 and tea-t receptacle 11 as circular in shape, this shape, and likewise its comparative size, have been chosen arbitrarily, just for illustration.

The resistance against unintentional dislodgement of'the male member, after it has been made to engage within its female member,is provided by the effort that is neces sary topull the teat from out of itsreceptacle against the tensioning actlon' of the leaf spring. The leaf spring 8 is tobeso constructed that, the entire resistanceof its tensional action should be suiiicient to over come the dislodgin'g tendency due to mastlca 15. The first and second molars composing the removable bridge denture, are/fixedly mounted on the bridge saddle structure '16, the third molar and second bicuspid acting. as the abutment teeth therefor. members of the attachments are supported, generally, in inlays or in the metal of artificial crowns, rigidly mounted on thee-bub ment teeth. In this instance, referringto Fig. 3, I show used as the holding dentures for the female members of both attachments, the inlays 17, mounted one each, in the second bicuspid and third molar. These female members are soldered, generally, into the seat cut out-for them, one ineach inlay.

The male members ofeach attachment will be supported, in this instance,*re-ferring to Fig. 8, one-on the first molar andthe'oth'er on lZl'IG'SQCOIICl molar, that-is, in the saddle poi-non thereof, generally by the use of solder, so that, when thebrid'ge-denture is placed in position between -:its abutments, the male members of each attachment will co-operatively'engage within the correspond ing female members. The bridge denture is placed in position between its-abutments in the mouth, by allowing the male member. of each attachment to engage with the corresponding female member, only fromthe top, i. e., occlusally.

It was the intent-ion, referring to Fig. 3, to show the two attachments similar in all respects, excepting that the height of the at tachment between the second bicuspid and first molar is less than that of the other. It is very often necessary, in orderto accommodate inlays provided with a short height of seat, to cutdown the female member, from the top, to suit. This means thatthe' corresponding male member will be required to be cut down 'accordingly, .which,

The female from its construction as described in the foregoing, will be seen to be readily done. In fact, the male member can be cut down, transversely, practically to the periphery of the head of the screw 9, without disturbing, in any manner, the functioning of the attachment.

The method of mounting the inlays on the abutment teeth, also the method of supporting the female members in the inlays and the method of supporting the male members on the artificial bridge denture, as referred to in the foregoing, is understood to be carried out in the manner well known to I those skilled in the art and technique of this branch of dentistry. Although I have illustrated and described in the foregoing, a removable bridge denture composed of two artificial teeth and two attachments, this has been chosen arbitrarily to illustrate a particular case. The number of attachments to be used for a removable bridge denture is generally two or more than two, depending on the restoration.

The ready manner in which the leaf spring 8 can be seated in its recess, and removed therefrom, permits a new leaf spring to be easily substituted for an old one, should the occasion require.

I also wish to bring out, that the relative position of the teat in the leaf spring 8, and the teat receptacle 11 in the back wall 1 of the female member, may be readily reversed, with practically the same results as hereinbefore described and illustrated for the teat and teat receptacle arrangement. Furthermore, the substance of this invention may be embodied in any shaped attachment i. e., the

shape of the attachment may be rectangular,

oval, etc., instead of as illustrated in them:- companying drawing. The materials that these proposed attachments are to be fabricated of, may be any non-corrosive metal, the material generally used being a platinum-gold alloy. Both members of the attachment may be constructed of similar material, or otherwise, the material to be utilized for the leaf spring being as springy and pliable as possible.

Herein I have illustrated and described a simple and practical embodiment of my invention, and I wish to set forth that the details of construction, dimensions, and general arrangement of the various parts may be considerably modified, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, expressed in the claims.

lVhat I claim is 1. A dental attachment for movable removable bridgework comprising a jacket member having positioned a teat receptacle centrally thereon, a linking member permanently mounted on a removable bridge denture to engage within the jacket member, a separate belly-shaped leaf spring tensioning element adapted to be removably attached to the linking member and provided with a protuberance or teat to engage within the said teat receptacle on the jacket member, and a means for securing the spring tensioning element to the linking member.

2. A dental attachment for movable removable bridgework comprising a jacket member formed of a fiat back wall having positioned centrally thereon a teat socket and a closed bottom and sides angled to the said back wall, a linking member perma nently affixed to an artificial tooth structure, a belly-shaped leaf spring tensioning element adapted to be removably mounted within a centrally positioned recess on the linking member, the leaf spring being provided with a cooperatively positioned protuberance or teat adapted to look into the teat socket on the jacket member, and a securing means for yieldingly mounting the leaf spring on the linking member.

3. A dental attachment for movable removable bridgework comprising a jacket member having positioned thereon a teat socket, a linking member to engage Within the jacket member formed of a solid body longitudinally recessed and a Web element integrally made on the body and extending the full length thereof, a belly-shaped leaf spring element having formed centrally upon the highest part of the belly-shaped portion a protuberance or teat adapted to register with the teat socket on the jacket member, and a screw securing means for supporting the leaf spring element upon the linking member.

4. A dental attachment for movable removable bridgework comprising a jacket member having positioned upon the back wall a protuberance or teat, a linking member formed of a web permanently supported upon the removable bridge denture and a longitudinally recessed body making with the web a symmetrically integral member, a

belly-shaped leaf spring element adapted to be removably seated within the recess of the body, the said leaf sprin having formed thereon the highest part of the belly-shaped portion a teat socket or receptacle adapted to register with the protuberance or teat on the jacket member, and a securing means for supporting the leaf spring upon the linking member.

HENRY A. ADLER. 

